Knights of the Round
by Sakina the Fallen Angel
Summary: The Doctor and Rose land in an Arthurian landscape where there is more to the forest than meets the eye. They encounter a clash of knights, damsels in distress and doomed quests for forsaken grails, in a land that is plagued by dragons...
1. Costumes and then some?

Summary: The Doctor and Rose land in an Arthurian landscape where there is more to the forest than meets the eye. They encounter a clash of knights, damsels in distress and doomed quests for forsaken grails, in a land that is plagued by dragons…

This fic was partly inspired by Aerosmith's Kings and Queens song, and the fact that I wanted to create a fic based on a romantic Arthurian land. Enjoy!

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Black Knight

Chapter One: Costumes and then some? 

Rose emerged from the changing rooms, or the costume room, as she liked to call it and did a double take in the mirror.

"Wow, this dress is amazing! The evil supreme underwater queen look is really in at the moment!" She twirled around, enjoying the feel of the blue satin like material against her skin. The colours of the dress shifted and changed, glittering like the ocean. A flash of silver caught the light, and for a moment she could almost imagine brandishing her trident or whatever it was that stick was called whilst riding on a dolphin.

Her dirty blonde hair was in waves, and she'd been overjoyed when she'd found a matching silver tiara deep in the back of the changing room. It must've been an artefact of some sort, something about the way the deep azure jewels sparkled suggested that one day long ago they'd wielded powers unimaginable. She'd have to ask the Doctor about this.

This is just like playing dress-ups as a kid! She thought as she bounded down the corridors.

The Doctor was dozing in his favourite armchair, with a copy of The TARDIS' Guide to the Galaxy lying on his lap when he was rudely awakened.

"Oi, who revived the Queen of the Aquarians?" He groaned blearily on opening his eyes. "Dammit, where's Jack's blaster?" Suddenly he shot up and cried a stream of profanities in various languages whilst groping wildly for a suitable weapon.

"Relax Doctor, it's only me," Rose laughed, eyes glittering.

"Oh." The Doctor put on a serious face and straightened his back. "Still playing dress-ups? Well, no threat to galactic peace there then."

Rose looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Only that no stupid ape could wield the third reigning power of the Aquarians and expect to know how to use it, could they?" He grinned and ducked, avoiding a blow from Rose.

"Hey!" He cried as she pushed him off his chair and perched herself on it.

"I'm interested now, Doctor. Will you tell me what happened to the last blah blah blah?"

"Aquarians," the Doctor corrected, picking himself up. He dusted his jacket deliberately and did up the buttons.

Rose snorted. He probably liked that jacket more than he did her. Finally he looked up and on catching her eye, feigned a look of surprise. "What? You were talking to me?"

"Yes, silly!" Rose giggled and threw another cushion at him.

"Look," he held up both hands in defeat, "it's a really long story, so I'll have to tell you some other time."

"Fine." Slightly downcast, she perked up again with an idea. "Hey Doctor, can we go on an adventure?"

"A random adventure? What about Jack?"

"That's it really. Ever since Jack took off to catch the guy with the power accelerator we haven't done _anything_! He knows where to find us," she said pleadingly.

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Oh alright then. Where?"

Rose's eyes sparkled. "Why don't we let the TARDIS choose?"

This time the Doctor's eyes lit up too. "Race you there!" Rose sighed as he bounded off. OK, time for a readjust. Rolling her eyes, she decided that maybe he loved the TARDIS even more than he did the jacket or her. No, make that a dead cert.

xXx

On arriving in the central chamber Rose found the Doctor running around yanking and pumping a lot of switches, dials and pumps.

"OK, the TARDIS has brought up a screen full of anomalies that have arisen in the last week," the Doctor explained quickly to Rose as he pulled up a screen. "And if you see here…_holy_…"

"See," Rose said smugly as fifty flashing lights popped up randomly across the screen. "I really don't think Jack would've minded if we'd saved the world a few times without him."

"Yeah yeah, OK, you made your point," the Doctor said hurriedly. "Pick somewhere. Anywhere."

"Erm…eeny meeny miny moe…here!" Rose closed her eyes and jabbed at the screen.

The Doctor looked impressed. "Nice shot, slap bang on one hot spot." He twisted a few more dials before calling to Rose, "You have exactly three minutes and ninety seven Aquarian nodes to get changed before touch down!"

xXx

"So, what's it to be then?" The Doctor called as he heard the patter of Rose's feet.

"Looks like something like this!" She emerged in a flourish of satin.

"Your standard fairytale princess or damsel in distress," the Doctor nodded at her. "Must be somewhere medieval or a few constellations south of the Pleiades then."

She twirled in her new pink dress. "Must be a day for dresses. By the way Doctor, I've always wanted to know what this hat thingy is." She lifted a long pointed cone like hat thingy off her head and felt the flowing material that cascaded from the tip.

This time the Doctor looked really confused. "Last time I checked, it was just a hat."

There was a bump, and the TARDIS reached touchdown. Striding to the door, the Doctor opened it and peered out.

A blast of sunshine almost blew his retinas out. When his vision had cleared, he found he was looking at a remarkable landscape. Rolling green hills rose and fell against a clear blue sky, and in the distance he could make out a castle surrounded by a cluster of loyal buildings. A path marched from the forest, past the TARDIS and all the way up to the castle. A fanfare of trumpets carried faintly over the breeze, and to his left lay an emerald forest.

"Well?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"See for yourself," the Doctor said. "It's fantastic!"

xXx

They'd left the TARDIS for the moment and were making their way delicately through the forest. Birdsong filtered through the canopy of lush leaves and twigs cracked underfoot. They could smell the fresh earth, and ahead of them, a babbling brook trickled through the forest, as it searched on it's never ending quest to go downwards. It was like a scene from Bambi.

Rose marvelled at how Earth-like the place was.

"Are you sure we're not still on Earth?" She asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," the Doctor answered. "But I wouldn't be surprised if we weren't. This could be a branch off an Earth world, like-"

"Doctor!" Rose suddenly hissed.

The Doctor stopped abruptly. He could hear people approaching, the sounds getting closer and closer. He had no idea whether they were friendly or not. "Quick Rose, get off the path!"

With that, he grabbed a low-lying branch from above and hefted himself vertically up in a matter of seconds- and in a manner so as to suggest that he'd done this many times before. Rose gaped, and a sharp whack to the head from above reminded her to hide. She made a mental note to get the Doctor back for this as she ran behind a giant rock. And just in time too.

From out of the blue a band of figures in shining armour huffed as they jogged down the path. Two figures on horseback brought up the rear, bearing blue banners that ruffled in the breeze. Peering from the rock, Rose could make out a coat of arms. One of the figures on foot lifted his visor to wipe away sweat, and glanced in Rose's direction.

"Hup two, hup two, keep it moving!"

Shoot! She whipped back, not knowing whether she'd been seen or not. She didn't know how long she'd been holding her breath and worse, she'd scratched her foot on a low thorny bush.

"Oi, princess! You can come out now," the Doctor called.

"About time too," Rose huffed as she came back onto the path, daintily lifting her skirts.

She was just like a little kid really, the Doctor thought, gazing at her fondly. But yet, much more complicated. She was often emotional and full of surprises, but had never fainted at the sight of a monster yet. He had to give her that much credit at least.

"Oi!" Rose whacked him, eyes sparkling. "What are you staring at?"

Snapping back to reality, the Doctor shook his head. "Oh, you know, having deep meaningful philosophical thoughts that a simple human mind like your couldn't even begin to comprehend."

"It's at times like these, that you actually sound like one of the bad guys we have to fight." She glanced at him sideways. "You know, the devious, conniving-"

"-monologuing," the Doctor chipped in helpfully.

"Yeah, that too," she nodded.

From the distance, the blast of a fanfare carried over the treetops. Rose thought it was maybe a celebration of some kind; after all, what were random fanfares made for? She had much more important things on mind, like trying to get the Doctor to tango or just having plain fun, but if she'd paid more attention to the trumpets then maybe she wouldn't be in the mess she was in now…

* * *

Well, hope that was IC. I actually wrote this ages ago, but never posted it up for some reason. Oh yeah, a note to readers of my other fic **Spider's Web**, I'm putting that on hold until I can get the inspiration I need to finish it. 

So, how was this?


	2. A Fair Welcome

Thanks to everyone that reviewed so far...teh setting is still vague, but that is intentional- all will become clear later.

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Chapter Two: A Fair Welcome

"That was the Dragon Patrol you saw."

They'd been greeted at the castle walls by a friendly looking guard, who'd gestured for them to get into the town with great urgency. He'd said something about the warning? And then they had been escorted up to the castle. Passing through medieval thatched buildings and chickens running around open markets, Rose had really gotten a feel for the place. Forget the history textbooks, this is the place to be! She wished she could've been here when it mattered- though it was too late now to go back and reclaim a history A Level.

They had woven in and out of open trades, and the guard had taken them past an exquisite fountain, where Rose had been surprised to find a couple dressed in peasant clothing making out. So…was this a huge period drama…or did they still do things here by the book?

She was sure she was still on Earth. She must be…what were the chances of a place like this, a complete mirror of an earlier time?

And the castle. Huge blocks of grey stone, standard moat encircling the fortress. In her mind, she could almost see the heralds with their stitched tunics and trumpets, the knights in shining armour charging across a dusty courtyard, even a giant banquet hall, laden with dishes. And it had all been true.

The Doctor had been chatting to the guard until he'd left, and after a few minutes of tense waiting in which the Doctor had reminded Rose what being 'ladylike' meant, the King had appeared.

Rose knew from what the guard had told them that the man now on the golden throne was the King; she could've guessed otherwise from his regal looking cloak and the way he held himself. The fact that he had a crown on his head and was sat on the throne kind of also gave it away.

The King introduced himself as King Hadrian IV, and the Doctor had introduced both him and Rose.

The Doctor had spun off a cock and bull story about them being travellers from a long way away, and after a few embellishments, the King had accepted the story. The Doctor still wasn't sure what the state of technology was on this place; he knew they'd travelled into the past from the far future but he'd forgotten to check the date. He still had to be wary- for all he knew; this place was a disguise for some darker alien black market mass weapon production zone. Nah…

The King was currently explaining to them about the knights that Rose had said she'd seen in the forest.

"Dragon Patrol?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"You see, we have always had dragons here," the King sighed. "Normally, they aren't too much of a problem here, they prefer to terrorise the other towns closer to their mountain regions. However in recent weeks we have had a surge of dragons and an alarming increase in citizen deaths. This has required us to set up a Watch, so to speak, to inform us of any developments so that we may be able to prepare ourselves better for what may turn out to be a war."

"That makes sense," the Doctor agreed.

_Dragons!_ Rose frowned. What in the name of the four moons of Jupiter?

"The problem here, is that we have this one dragon residing practically next to us, the Sapphire Caves I believe it is. Now what could be so problematic about this dragon? Well, the fact that it seems to have taken quite a liking to our livestock and townspeople." He paused for breath. "Never have we faced as dragon as smart as this one. It has successfully evaded our capture seventeen times now, scorching five of our men in the process. And every time it appears, we hear this titanic roar that shatters our windows, and destroys our buildings. The price of roof thatching has hit the proverbial roof, and everyone refuses to trade with us now! Our death toll has already doubled since it first nested in the Sapphire Caves two months ago. There is nothing we can do."

The Doctor contemplated for a moment. "You could freeze the beast. Or at least strike up a bargain with it."

"Bargain with a dragon? You must be joking, good Sir! They are amongst the most devious beasts ever to exist here, plus the one that we are talking about doesn't seem to understand our tongue. It is very puzzling, I must say. We would prefer to capture it alive and bend it to our will…"

He spoke so offhandedly; it caught Rose off guard. A place that was plagued by dragons?

"…The ties between our neighbouring kingdoms has been growing thinner recently. Political arrest has been afoot ever since…"

"Dragons?" Rose's voice rose up a notch. She just couldn't believe it. "On Earth? Since when?" There'd never been dragons here, had there? Maybe she should've actually listened in history…

The King regarded her steadily, breaking from his monologue.

"Erm…"

The Doctor recognised the early warning systems of suspicion. He had to act quickly, or his whole cock and bull could unravel and they could end up in medieval jail fast for speaking untruths.

"Different customs, my lady hasn't been brought up in such fortunate circumstances, so she hasn't learned the manners of the woman yet, I'm very sorry, your lordship," the Doctor gabbled hastily before bowing and elbowing Rose in the process.

Rose glared at the Doctor and bowed hastily too, when she realised she was supposed to curtsey. Boy, things were going well.

The King laughed at the look of horror in Rose's eyes. "It is OK, Miss Tyler." His warm brown eyes met hers. "We get far stranger people appearing, some that we can hardly even call people; we are very much used to it now."

"Well that's a relief then," Rose muttered, wiping her forehead. She'd honestly thought…

"You honestly thought I was going to say- _off with her head_! Is that not correct?" His polite manner disarmed Rose, and she had that wild rabbit look again.

The Doctor grinned.

"Well, I am afraid that the only request I am going to make is that you two stay for dinner," the King said, eyes creased in laughter.

xXx

The banquet hall was just as Rose had imagined- laurels and wreaths decorating the walls, giant wooden tables set out in a long line, and a grand hearth in which a few logs spat out sparks. Rose was surprised at how quick darkness had come to this world, they'd only been here for two hours.

The King was sat at the head of the table with another woman; Rose assumed she was the 'queen'. The woman had inquired about the Dragon Patrol earlier, but the heralds said nothing had been seen of them since the trumpet warning Rose had heard when they'd first materialised.

"You don't think…"

"Nah," the Doctor grunted as he got started on a huge drumstick. "Thuck in, thar food's mphff."

Rose shook her head as she swirled her goblet, sipping her wine.

Suddenly the wooden doors were flung open, and a band of knights staggered in wearily. The chatter ceased as the straggle made their way up to where the King sat. Rose could see that they were dragging another man.

"He tried to escape again," one of the knights said, lifting his helmet. "This mad fellow just won't stay put."

The knight indicated how they'd had to tie up the man's hands and legs. The man, furious, was still struggling. His wild red eyes smouldered with anger.

"See what I mean, Sir?" The same knight addressed the King.

The man spat contemptuously, his filthy rags trembling as his eyes scanned the room. They fixed on Rose with a burning snarl. She trembled, looking away.

The woman laid her hand on the King's arm but he brushed it off.

The King sighed wearily. "Malcolm, I do see what you mean. Place him in the same holding as before, until we can find out what is wrong with him he is a danger to us all." Malcolm bowed and was about to leave when the King asked, "I trust you all returned in good health?"

This time it was Malcolm who sighed. "All but one Sir. Master Frederick wasn't so lucky, he is in the infirmary right now, being treated for severe burns."

As Malcolm turned to leave, Rose finally got a good look at the knight. And blushed- he couldn't have been much older than herself. His straight brown hair was clear cut and came down to his neck, and he had a small angular face that was handsome in his own right. His tall, silent posture reminded her exactly of the knights she'd seen pictures of on Earth, provided they weren't actually still here.

Malcolm must have sensed someone looking at him because he turned around, and as his brown eyes met Rose's she realised with a sudden shock that he was the knight who'd looked directly at her when she'd been hiding earlier.

He must've realised this too because his eyes widened in shock as he left. No one paid any attention to the woman at the head of the table, who scrutinised Rose, the Doctor and Malcolm with a frown upon her beautiful face.

xXx

Ten minutes later the knights all came back for dinner, dressed in more simple plain tunics. There was a space beside Rose which Malcolm filled, and as he munched on his meal Rose was able to get a better look at him.

Boy was he dreamy! He seemed to radiate an aura that suggested authority, yet she sensed he'd been a bit of a joker in his youth. Looks like teen spirit. Smells like roast pork.

On her other side, the Doctor shook his head. "Are you going to eat the pork or the knight?"

"Oh you," Rose shoved him playfully.

Taking a sip from his goblet, Malcolm finally turned to Rose.

"Sorry about not introducing myself earlier," he swallowed. "My name is Malcolm-" chew "-member of Dragon Patrol." Chew.

None of them mentioned the encounter in the forest.

"You must be hungry." Rose indicated the pile on his plate.

"Yes, I am starving. We are always like this, especially after an encounter." He waved at the other members of the Patrol, who were all too engrossed in their food to notice.

Rose gazed at him for a few seconds. "I…"

"Who was that man? A prisoner?" The Doctor butted in, chewing.

Malcolm stared at the Doctor for a moment, not sure of what to make of him. "Kind of," he answered finally. "You see, we found this man wandering around in the woods two weeks ago. He had completely lost it, roaring like he was a dragon. And his clothes…well, I am sure you have seen them, have you not? We are trying to detain him whilst we try and locate his relatives, but it seems like he is having none of it."

Rose frowned at Malcolm's strange speech. It seemed a mix of modern and old, like a country lost in time.

"He does not know his own strength, poor man, and we do not even know what he is called!"

"Shocking!" The Doctor muttered sarcastically.

"So we have called him Mad Raigon, for Raigon is the only word he can say."

Rose's eye wandered to the spot where the knights had stood earlier with Mad Raigon. Her glance moved to the King, and to the lady in turn, who met her glance with a cool stare. Drawing away, she felt very much shaken.

"Who's that woman sat next to the King?" She muttered. "She's giving me the creeps."

Malcolm frowned for a second, obviously puzzled at Rose's dialect. "Oh, you mean the Lady Evelyn? Why, she is the King's new wife. Where she came from remains a mystery, probably from beyond the Border, but I assure you she is of the friendliest nature."

The Doctor nodded, taking in Lady Evelyn's long wavy brown hair and her perfect posture.

"Ever since our late Lady has passed away, Guinevere hasn't been the same."

"Who?" The Doctor began.

Suddenly Rose realised something. Something she'd had in her pocket a while back…her hand closed on thin air. No! She couldn't have lost it. The Doctor had said…he'd said… "unimaginable destructive powers" emanated from this object though she'd chosen to ignore the "beyond the comprehension of your feeble brain" part.

She was worried now. Her heart was thumping, hands clammy from fear. No way was she going to be blamed for something that _was_ actually her own fault. Muttering about having to go find something, she excused herself from the table. It was only after she exited the hall that she started running.

xXx

An hour later and full of spirits, the Doctor realised that something was missing. No, _someone_. Damn! He cursed himself, and got up. Malcolm seemed to have realised too that Rose had not returned yet. Glancing around the now messy hall, he saw people slumped, too full to speak, but not one sign of Rose.

"You do not think that…?"

"She's gone out into the woods, silly ape!"

Malcolm gasped at the Doctor's such brusque woods. Standing up, he followed the Doctor as he made his way to the entrance of the hall. Peering out, the Doctor noted that it was almost completely dark outside. He'd been in worse. What if…?

Someone touched his arm. "You can not go now, it is too dark and dangerous. The dragon is about," Malcolm's calm and gentle voice brought the Doctor back down to earth. "She never said that she had gone out to the woods now, did she?"

"Damn!" The Doctor cursed again.

"She has probably been escorted to the ladies tower. She should be there in the morning."

The Doctor noted how Malcolm had said 'should', as if he too was afraid. But he couldn't go out now. He couldn't risk upsetting the people here- after all, he was two team members down and he'd left all his gadgetry behind in the TARDIS hadn't he? And anyway, what if he'd been worked up for no reason? He could scold her in the morning then, couldn't he?

xXx

Unbeknownst to the Doctor and Malcolm, Rose wandered, lost in the chilly night air, feeling more and more hopeless as the dark caught up with her.

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I know the dialogue is a bit weird...unique to say so in the least.

How was it?


	3. Into the Dragon's Cave

Whoo! Thanks for the reviews people, you make me happy! Anyway, sorry it's taken so long to update- this has been my first chance all week! ...three days to Halloween...

28/10/05

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Chapter Three: Into the Dragon's Cave

"Damn! Where is it?" Rose muttered. She'd been so preoccupied, so focused that she hadn't realised what a stupid idea this was until it was too late. Of course the people had warned them- the Dragon Patrol had confirmed an active beast, hadn't they?

And now that it was dark…she was beginning to take the warnings more seriously now. Every flutter she heard could be a swooping of wings. Every hiss…She'd made it to the edge of the woods so far though. The jewel she dropped had to be here somewhere. What was it again? The jewel of the Third Reigning Power of the Aquarians or something?

Catchy title, Rose snorted. Luckily for her, she saw a faint blue glowing up ahead. Unluckily for her, she hadn't anticipated the tree root. Her hand managed to close around the jewel as she fell though, and she managed to muffle her cry. Even more unlucky for her though, the dragon had chosen this moment to look down and spot the jewel.

"Arghhhh!"

xXx

"Arghhhh!" The dashing Captain Jack slammed his head onto the control panel of his spaceship. One simple treasure hunt had turned out to be one hell of a nightmare. Who would've thought chasing after a power accelerator would be so hard? Of course, taking into account that they were extremely rare, dangerous, and worth one hell of a lot.

Jack flopped his head up and smiled at his reflection.

"Who else?"

His eyes sparkled as he winked at himself, and tossed his perfect brown hair back in the style of a perfect L'oreal advert. His charismatic smile only faltered slightly as he registered the asteroid approaching him.

"Incoming!" He yelled as he swerved the ship sharply. He missed the asteroid by inches, and turned the ship around, giving it a good blast with his laser.

"Tsch tsch boom!" The asteroid exploded into a thousand fragments, tiny shards of cosmic dust probably even more lethal than the asteroid had been.

"Just making sure that no one else will crash into it," he murmured sheepishly at his reflection. "Now it will be a danger no more."

Leaning back in his seat, his fingers wrapped around the cocktail the ship had so aptly provided and took a sip. Ahh, this was the life.

Without warning the ship beeped.

_SIGNAL LOST_

"Damn!" With his free hand, he thumped the dashboard again.

That damn cruiser he was chasing couldn't suddenly have entered hyperspace, could it? You had to be at least a hundred million miles away from the nearest giant stellar body to warp, otherwise you could end up Jupiter knows where!

Suddenly he was taken back to the questioning, when he'd finally rounded up the 'suspects', as he'd liked to call them. Of course, he was still disguised as a police officer and in con mode, so he would've been able to get away with a hell of a lot.

He drained his cocktail. "Then why haven't I gotten that damned accelerator yet?"

He remembered suspect A. An Insectoid; it's cold faceted eyes had blinked bemusedly as he'd interviewed the suspect, legs clicking on the tiled floor. Definitely had something to hide.

"Nope, never seen one o' them in me life, never mind even 'eard of it!"

"Are you sure…"

"Well, now that I think 'bout it, I av saw one what looked like it. About a few clicks ago it woz. But you ain't avin' mine, I paid for mine I did."

Whatever. Jack made sure his translator was working correctly. As a bonus, it even managed to catch the regional dialects, how charming!

Suspect B. Young male humanoid, cold narrow eyes too. Haughty, his silver jump-suit looked rich, definitely attitude problems.

"How would I know? Anyway, you must have got it wrong. I haven't seen anything like that. It doesn't even look like a proper accelerator for Heaven's sake, and where's the LED screen? Shouldn't there be a panel here with red buttons, hmmm? You _soo_ cannot draw!"

He'd been so offended that he'd moved onto the next suspect.

Suspect C. Octopus like. Looked like a complete whacko, but in a suspicious way.

"Mmmmm, food. That looks tasty to me, kinda like snazberry." It waved a tentacle, squinting hungrily at the picture.

After three more interviews like this, he'd given up. Oh well, back to square one. Back to the planet where he'd first picked up the signal.

xXx

The Doctor opened his eyes. He must've dozed off, because it was now morning. Muscles stiff from sitting on the cold stone window ledge all night, he rose and stretched. A thought that had been nagging him all night now surfaced from the depths of his mind. There was something wrong with this place.

It was way too perfect. The forest, the castle. Even his room. The ornate four-poster had been just as he'd expected it to be as well as the wash basin in the corner and the tapestries depicting countryside scenes.

Last night…he thought he'd seen bright flares of light in the night sky…and, he swore he'd heard the unmistakable sound of a roar. His ears never deceived him. There had been some sort of monster out and about. The dragon?

He'd wanted to go and find Rose, he really had. But until he knew what was going on, he didn't want to risk it. Nagging feeling aside, he washed and went to find Malcolm.

In the courtyard, the soft rays of sunshine warmed the cold cobbles. No one was about. The Doctor looked everywhere- what he assumed to be the stables, the banquet hall, the milking parlour. He was about to head back when he bumped into a young woman.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Her eyes widened as she knocked the bucket off the stool. It fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. "Oh I'm so clumsy!"

"It's OK," the Doctor said and picked it up. "Hey, I didn't see you last night at the hall, did I?"

"No, I'm afraid you won't have." The young woman curtseyed. "I wasn't feeling too well, so I retired early."

This young woman was maybe slightly younger than Rose. With long wavy golden hair that cascaded down her shoulders, and her rosy blush, she looked stunning, like a young flower blooming. She had on a sky blue flowing dress, similar to that of Rose's, only with puffy sleeves and a corset too. Quite the medieval damsel in distress.

"I'm sorry, didn't catch your name?" The Doctor flashed her a smile.

"Oh, I'm…call me Ginny," the woman said, embarrassed.

The Doctor extended his hand. "You can call me the Doctor." He withdrew it after Ginny's puzzled glance. "Oh, erm, sorry, different traditions, I'm from long, long away…" He broke off. "Say, could you tell me where everyone is?"

The girl looked downcast. "If you mean everyone by King Hadrian and his courtyard, than they are all at the city walls, counting the dead."

There was a chill suddenly down the Doctor's spine.

"Thanks, I'll see you around!" Without so much as a backward glance, he was gone. It was only after he crossed the moat, that he realised he should've asked Ginny if any ape-like girls had appeared at all yesterday.

xXx

Rose woke up, and wished she hadn't. She'd had this awful nightmare, about being out far too late at night for her own good, and looking for something. Next thing she knew sharp claws were digging into her back, and had she screamed? Well, if she hadn't then she definitely did when she'd found herself gazing down at her feet and her eyes had carried on roaming down… She remembered the wind whistling past her, and an awful nauseous feeling she'd had…and…the roar…and…the fire…and…

She opened her eyes. And screamed.

A pair of giant bulbous eyes blinked back.

"Oh-my-God-oh-my-God-oh-my-God!" She gasped, scrambling as far back as she could go. Which wasn't very far. A sudden jolt up her spine made her realise she was already pressed against the wall.

The rough stone grated against her elbows, and as she shifted it seemed the ground suddenly came alive. With a roar, thousands upon thousands of hard round things began to tremble, glittering menacingly as they rumbled. A shower of the things fell, cold and round objects striking her, like… gold?

She pinched herself, unable to believe her eyes.

She was on a mountain of…_gold_? Greed and curiosity overcoming sense, she plucked a coin and stared at it, noting her wide-eyed look of fear reflected in the metal. How many people would die for this piece of loot?

Suddenly there was another low rumble, more sinister than before. Shaking, Rose hugged her knees as the giant luminous eyes came into view again. She smelled something that was incredibly like smoke. Inside her mind, she kept praying that this was all a dream, but no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut, the tears still kept coming.

xXx

The Doctor pounded down the cobbles, blood ringing in his ears. Hitching a lift on a hitch cart (wasn't that what they were for?) before he soon changed his mind and jumped off, spitting straw stalks as decided that his speed was far superior to that of the trundling monster, no offence meant of course.

The thatched buildings became a blur, the hammering of the iron forge a pounding in his two hearts as he focused on one thing- getting to the city gates. Ginny had said- the dead… he had to make sure. She wouldn't…she couldn't be _that_ stupid could she?

"Good day, how do you do?" He called to a passer-by as he dashed past, whirlwind trailing in his wake.

The man just stared, bemused.

Past the fountain, down the hill, round the corner, opposite the butcher's- _good day sir, can't talk, running_, across the yard…

"Hey!" Malcolm waved.

Breaking away from the murmuring crowd, he sprinted over to the Doctor. Malcolm was in another tunic, off duty for now. Though he was greeted in every way imaginable, the Doctor still managed to catch a hint of sadness behind Malcolm's welcoming façade. Underneath his calm composure, Malcolm was trembling. And was that smudge on his face more than early morning rain?

"You alright?" The Doctor asked, concerned for once.

"Yes, yes, I am fine," Malcolm replied distractedly. "Your friend Rose is not in this morning's death toll, so I believe."

The Doctor stared at him.

Nearby, the crowd gathered fearfully around the King as he read out today's death toll from a parchment.

"M-my friends, they weren't so l-lucky." Malcolm bowed his head, clean-cut locks shading his face like a curtain. "Ever since the incident of the Black Kni-…well, it appears that I reside in the castle with the good King Hadrian and his courtyard. They were most kind to me."

"Yes?" Slightly impatient.

Malcolm cleared his throat nervously. "Where I stay, we are safer. Most of the other knights live close to the wall, so they're easy targets. Edward…and Sir Gallagher…and my friends Eleanor and…" He swallowed painfully.

The Doctor decided not to press the matter any further for now. At least Rose was alive for now. But where was she? What had been a simple visit to a foreign land had now turned into a full-blown quest.

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Once again, I've tried to keep it IC for as much as I can, and if anyone has any bits to pick at feel free to do so! 


	4. Through a Dragon's Eyes

Awww, no one reviewed. (sob)

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Chapter Four: Through a Dragon's Eyes

It was all true. Every myth, every fable she'd ever heard as a child. She pinched herself, but inside she already knew that this wasn't a dream. And if the pile of gold wasn't enough, here she was face to face with the eyes of a dragon!

Blowing a long plume of smoke out of it's nostrils, it snorted, causing Rose's heart to skip a beat. She could only see it's long snout and bulbous eyes- the ledge she was resting on went into the wall, and there was an overhang that obscured her view of the rest of the cave so she had no idea how big the beast actually was.

Her attention went back to the dragon. It seemed to be watching her, waiting for her to do something.

What? Speak? But that was silly. Surely it couldn't understand?

"H-hi?" She managed timidly, the high pitch in her voice catching her by surprise. Imagine what the Doctor would say now if he was here? No, he wouldn't be saying anything because he'd be the one trying to get us out!

The dragon grunted inarticulately.

"Erm…sorry?" Fed up of the tension, and probably realising that if the beast had wanted to kill her it would've already done so, Rose stood up, hands on hips.

"I'm sorry, what was that? You know, thanks to you I've had an awful night and I'm really not in a good mood, what with you kidnapping me and all that, and you know what? You probably don't even understand what I'm going on about, so what I don't get is why you haven't eaten me or fried me or-"

"_I understand your tongue_."

It took a moment for Rose to register. The voice of the dragon- though grating as if it hadn't been used in a while- had a silky undertone to it once you got past the jarring. It also had this commanding tone, as if it was…

"What is the meaning of this 'hi'?"

This time the voice sounded more fluid.

"Erm…" Rose began, looking around wildly for support, "well, 'hi' means, um, well 'hello'. You know, greetings, aloha, bon jour, good day, that kind of thing."

"Very well." The dragon seemed to have inclined it's head. There was a masculine quality about it, the way it addressed her.

"Are you…?"

"Yes, you are correct, I am of the male order." The eyes seemed to be boring into her, becoming more fluid.

"H-how did you…know?" Rose said with great difficulty. The eyes were taking up her whole vision, filling up her mind.

"How do I know you wanted to ask that question? Simple, because I am all powerful and all knowing." It blew a puff of smoke.

Great. Not only a dangerous dragon, a _vain_ one too.

"Can you read my mind?"

"I would prefer not to answer that question," the dragon replied in a tone all too lofty for Rose's liking, but she didn't say anything. Here she was, at the mercy of this beast.

"Erm…right. So, then, what's um, your name?" She gabbled, grasping wildly for straws.

The dragon thought for a moment. It had a slightly puzzled look on it's face which cleared suddenly. "My name is of little importance."

Rose homed in on the dragon's uncertainty. "What? Why won't you tell me it? Everyone that's _somebody_ has a name."

"I have already told you, my name is of no importance," the dragon said in a more annoyed tone.

"Fine then, find something else to talk about."

Rose sat in silence for a while; the dragon merely continued to gaze at her.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" She asked, annoyed.

"Well, I am feeling rather peckish so I might just treat myself to a few villagers and sheep from your nearby town."

She sat bolt upright. "No! Don't!" There was a hollow look in her eyes. Wasn't the Doctor still there?

"Who is this Doctor?" The dragon enquired, interested.

Dammit! The beast could read her mind!

"No one."

"I see. Then you won't mind describing this no one to me then."

"No." She tried to clear her mind of the Doctor- think about something else, anything! Suddenly she remembered something.

"The jewel!"

"I see you have finally remembered. Is this what you are looking for?" The dragon brought up a sharp curved talon; on it rested the very same cerulean jewel Rose had dropped the previous night.

"Hey, that's mine!" She cried. "Give it back!" She reached out to grab the jewel, but the beast withdrew his talon swiftly.

"Ah, so you are acquainted with it. In that case I see you won't mind telling me how to unlock it's vast powers then." The dragon scrutinised her.

Rose backed away, swallowing. "What? Powers? I've heard no such thing…"

"Oh I think you have."

"H-honestly, I don't know."

The dragon's voice suddenly seemed more soft, more crooning. "Why, you must know. You with your infinite wisdom from all your travels to foreign lands and your infinite beauty, infinitely more so than that of your namesake, _Rose_." He'd hit the nail on the can. How had he known?

With a look of horror, Rose realised that she was falling under the spell of the dragon's eyes. She felt that warm pleasant feeling, a feeling of sinking, of forgetting, whilst the soft green light filled up every corner of her vision. She was sinking, falling, losing herself. And worst thing of all was- there was nothing she could do. No matter how hard she tried to fight this, it was impossible to win against something that was everywhere, something that had invaded her very soul.

She remembered something she'd heard from a long time ago- that dragons could hypnotise, but what use was such knowledge now?

"I h-hate you," she murmured sleepily, struggling to sit up.

The light glinted dangerously off his emerald green scales as he questioned her again.

"Tell me, if you do not know how to unlock the powers of the jewel, then who does?"

"Go to hell," she muttered, fists clenched.

The dragon inclined his head, hurt. "There was no need for that." More politely. "Surely you know the answer, for I really must seek out this knowledge. Please? For a poor deluded dragon, I implore you." Head still down, he peered at Rose.

Wow, he was being way more polite than before, even gentlemanly like, if she could say so herself. Surely it couldn't do her that much harm to tell him, maybe even then he'd let her go, and she could be safe on her way back to the town and they could get out of here and find Jack from whatever mission it was he was on. And it would all be better if she just told the dragon what he wanted to know, that she did in fact know who could help him.

"…I mean, honestly, what harm can it be? The Doctor's probably not gonna tell him anyway, on account of it's '_unimaginable destructive powers beyond the comprehension of your feeble human brain_', but of course he _isn't_ human is he, so…"

With a look of horror, Rose realised she'd spoken her thoughts out loud. The dragon roared in triumph, letting blast a wall of searing hot air.

"Ho hum, there is only one place where humans reside in the near vicinity, so I wonder…I _will_ be back." And with a beat of his magnificent wings, the dragon took off, leaving Rose alone, confused and shaking.

xXx

The cave she was in was enormous, but it seemed the dragon had filled up most of the space. His sleek green wings had reflected the light like a thousand mirrors. A thousand mirrors reflecting her own infernal prison, not one of them showed a flicker of escape.

Men would kill for these jewels, Rose thought. And how pretty they are too. She gazed at the mountains of splendour to her left and right, letting her fingers run across the precious stones. But at this moment in time, all I want to do is to get out of here.

She'd climbed down the ledge precariously, and had found that sliding down a gigantic pile of gold really was as fun as it looked…not that she'd ever seen anyone do that of course. But now her present situation had caught up with her.

Tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a mirror, Rose ignored the growing pangs in her stomach as she made her way towards the entrance of the cave. She couldn't imagine what she looked like right now, she really didn't want to. My hair…

Since her new life as a time traveller, she'd taken care to eat meals more frequently, now the one laughing at girls starving themselves to look pretty than being one of the anorexics. She really needed something to eat…

The tunnel opened out onto the entrance; she was met with a blast of natural sunshine that blinded her for a second. When her vision cleared, she sunk to the ground in bitter dismay. She was gazing at the lush green treetops of a forest below, the rock ledge ending sharply a few feet away. There was no way she could get down that hill without putting herself in danger of becoming extinct, and no she didn't plan on going that way.

But what would the Doctor have said if he were here?

"Useless humans, couldn't even find water if they fell into the sea!" She laughed hysterically before her face clouded.

"Damn, I'm talking to myself," she muttered, clutching her head. "Hah, talking to myself? What could I possibly say that I already haven't thought of?"

She laughed again.

What had the dragon done to her? She felt slightly more woozy than normal, but fought this feeling with every single cell in her body.

No way was she going to be here when that dragon came back. Stumbling backwards, she made her way back into the cave.

There must be another way out, she thought. Another natural opening. Long forgotten geography lessons had taught her that the structure of this particular cave she was in dictated that there _must_ be another exit, how else could the hollow have eroded so greatly? And the ledge she'd slept on didn't correspond to the angle of erosion that would've occurred, provided the only direction of the erosion had come from the big entrance.

Whether it was from shock, or she was tapping into some hidden brainpower in a desperate urge for survival, these wisps in her mind crystallized into concrete memories, giving her a new found hope.

"That's it, just wait til the Doctor sees me now, eh?" She said happily to the air. "Stupid ape my foot."

And with that she collapsed.

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Arghh! Poor Rose! Please don't bash me for that, I promise she gets better soon! Anyway, R n' R please!

Happy Halloween!


End file.
